many of sarah dessen’s books are incredibly formulaic, i admit that, but i like them. it did bug me though that Auden was kind of elitist and thought she was smarter and therefore better than everyone else, but i loved her growth. i felt like she really needed the time she had in Colby and her character development makes me so happy. her mom is so condescending, too. when she said “i’ll require at least tablecloths and a wine list” i rolled my eyes so hard. she is mean to Heidi for no reason, and she is also rude to her own daughter. she is like, a straight up bad person. i also didnt like how sometimes this book just skipped over an event and then briefly explained it and moved on. like scene when she “hooked up” with jake. what even was that??? also, some of her getting to know eli wasn’t included either. i wasnt a huge fan of how their relationship began and how their first few interactions all of a sudden turned into nightly excursions. her bowling scenes were pretty cringey, as was the food fight scene. i absolutely love eli, though. and i am pretty fond of auden. i loved the last 150 pages of this book. her and eli opening up to each other was so sweet. and her being overwhelmed and giving eli the cold shoulder was actually very relatable, because thats what happens in anxious situations. i really really really loved her growing relationship with Heidi. and the baby. and i love her friendship with maggie. eli also reminds me of a boy i know, which is probably why i love him so much. also, normally i dont like paperbacks, but i love this one. like the physical book. i am so glad to have it in my collection